Thoughts on books, reading and publishing from the staff and friends of the Tattered Cover Book Store.

Friday, May 3, 2013

" It's not for the faint of heart, but if you are up to it, it's a riveting read." --Jackie

Two of my favorite writers, Gillian Flynn and S.J. Watson, blurbed this
book, and I took that as good omen because these folks know what it
takes to create a tale that will keep a reader up late and glued to the
pages. And Maclean's declared it "a fast paced Exorcist-meets-DaVinci
Code", which sounded hilarious in a way, but, after reading it, I have
to agree.

This is a story of a man, his daughter and something very
demonic, and unnamed. The main character, Professor David Ullman, is an
expert on Milton's Paradise Lost, and has a somewhat
tongue-in-cheek reputation as a demonologist because of it. His
marriage has just dissolved, and he's left with his young and very
withdrawn daughter. So it seems fortuitous when a visitor comes to his
office and asks him to travel to Venice to "witness a
phenomenon"--bringing his daughter was fine and the money offered
staggering. But the phenomenon turned out to be beyond hellish, and was
now attached to him and his daughter. The professor is pushed into more
and more terrifying situations in order to get them free, all the while
appearing a madman to everyone else around him. This book is creepy,
breath-stealing and pretty much impossible to put down. It's not for
the faint of heart, but if you are up to it, it's a riveting read.